EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is the first letter Clifford sent to the Folks after his battalion had moved into Germany. The V-Mail was not dated or postmarked. The date was estimated based on content and comparison with other letters and the 768th Medical Team Summary.
*Feb. 17, 1945 *Approx.. 2750 CF Heistern, Germany
In a V-mail, Clifford guesses the Folks have been wondering why they haven’t heard from him; he has been busy – his battalion on the move; He states he is somewhere in Germany – but don’t worry too much because if he can’t be at home, this is where he would want to be; the weather is pretty chilly; he wants to help get this war over and go home; asks about his little sister Pat; and closes.
CLIFFORD’S TRAVELS:
February 15 – 24, 1945
Now assigned to the First Army, VII Corps, 18th FA Group, the battalion remained in Heistern, Germany until February 24, 1945.
At Heistern, the 768th fired its first shot in combat. Battery B registered on Check Point Number One at 1504 on February 16. The next day, February 17th, beginning at 1742, the battalion fired its first mission.
The main entertainment at Heistern was provided by the anti-aircraft batteries in the vicinity who fired frequently on high flying German planes – to keep them high! At night, the gunfire, tracers and shell bursts were quite a spectacle for the men.
[ While at Heistern, the 768th was visited by Major General J Lawton Collins, commanding the VII Corps, and Brigadier General Palmer. Major Willard A McDonald, commander of the 768th, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. ]
During this time, American forces along the Roer River were waiting for the stream to subside. German forces had destroyed dams in the river’s headwaters creating a flood to delay the Americans from crossing the Roer and advancing on the German city of Cologne.